Tide-motor.



G. ELEMMON.

- TIDE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY s, 1913.

'1, 1 1 1,1 61. Patented Sept. 22, mm

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6.4mm @W G. F. LEMMON.

TIDE MOTOR.

I APPLIGATION FILED MAY 8, 1913. 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 Patented Sept. 22, 1914;

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GEORGE E. LEMMON, E CANTON, OHIO.

TIDE-MQTQR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, rare.

Application filed May 8, 1913. Serial No. 766,286.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE F. LEMMON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tide-Motors, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in tide or stream motors in which the power of the tide or running stream is utilized to generate electricity.

The objects of my present invention are, first, to provide suitable boats or floats, preterably of catamaran construction, and place the same in a strait, through which out-gong and in-coming tides pass, second, to provide suitable-means for anchoring the boats or floats whereby they may rise and fall with t e movements of the tide, and third, to pro vide means for generating electricity to be conducted for use in the ordinary manner. These objects, together with other objects, I attain by the construction shown in the acpmpanying drawing, although my inven tion may be embodied in a variety of other forms, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 1s a top plan view. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the storage battery or auxiliary motor regu lating blades. Fig. 3 is a detached view showing a portion of one of the anchor .posts. Fig. 4 is a detached view of one of the connecting bars. Fig. 5 is a view showing the motor proper placed in a strait and properly anchored, showing parts broken away. Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a portion of the auxiliary motor regulating blade and the different connections for cutting in and out the auxiliary motors.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures O the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 and 2 represen the boats or floats which are prei' erably located side by side, and held in proper relationship with reference to each other by suitable tie-bars 3, which tie-bars are preferably connected to the decks of the boats and if desired similar tie-bars may be connected to the bottoms of the boats or sides. The object of the tie-bars being to securely connect the boats together to pro duce a catamaranconstruction. Upon the decks of the boats are suitable bearings 41 in which bearings are journaled the water wheel shafts rand 6, upon which shaftsare securely mounted the water wheels 7 and 8, said water wheels being located between the boats, and so arranged to bring their lower portions in the path of the out-going or in coming tide of the running stream. It is -well understood that there are about two hours of each twenty-four, that the tide is at rest, and in order that the water wheels 7 and 8 may be actuated alternately by the out-going tide and the iii-coming tide the water wheel paddles 9 are so arranged that each wheel will rotate in one direction only .and will remain at rest when the tide is running in the opposite direction. This result is accomplished by providing the wheels 7 and 8 with the inclined paddles or blades 9, and locating the inclination in opposite directions, one wheel will be actuated by the iii-coming tide and the other by the out-going tide. In order to provide a continuous current of electricity or to supply current during the twenty-two hours or period out of the twenty-four, and when both of the water wheels are at rest I'provide an au:; iliary source of supply which may be of any desired construction, preferably storage bat teries and I have illustrated in a conven-. tional way two storage batteries 10 and 11, which batteries are cut out during the time the current is generated by the water wheel but brought into circuit during the ti ne of low tide.

In order to bring the storage batteries into circuit I provide a swinging blade or paddle 12, which is located between the boats or floats and preferably between the water wheels 7 and 8. This swinging blade or pad- (lle 12 is provided with the contact blades or switch points 13 which are so arranged that they will come in contact with the storage battery wire casings or plugs 14, which switch or contact points will be brought into contact when the blade or paddle 12 assumes a vertical position. This swinging paddle or blade 12 is mounted upon the rock bar 3.5, whichis carried by the brackets 16, which brackets are connected to the boats or floats l and it will be understood that the rock bar 15 may be journaled in the brackets and the blade fixedly connected to said rock bar or the blade or paddle may be loosely mounted upon the rock bar 15, and said rook bar fixedlyconnected to the bracket. 16, The only object being to provide means whereby the paddle or blade will be actuated in either direction by the in-coming tide or out-going tide, but when actuated by the tide the storagebatteries will be cut out at-which time the water wheels 7 and 8 will be brought into action and the necessary current generated by the generators l7 and 18 to which generators are connected the usual wires 19 and 20, For the purpose of conducting the current for power purposes from the storage batteries 10 and 11 the wires 21 and 2:2 are provided and the circuit closing wires 23 and v For the purpose of transmitting power, it will be understood that the exact arrangement of the systems may be varied without departing from the nature of the present vention.

For the purpose of preventing any clogging or choking of the wheels by drift wood or sea weeds or other substances. 1 provide the wire netting 25, which wire netting is located at the ends of the boats or floats l and 2 and extended along the bottoms of the boats, and between theboats or floats a sufiicient distance to properly protect and guard the water wheels 7 and 8.

F or the purpose of properly anchoring the boats or fioats whether located in a strait or in a stream as against moving water, the anchor posts 26 are provided, which anchor post may be arranged as shown and as shown are formed hollow. For the purpose of anchoring the boats or floats and holding the same stationary regardless of the boats or floats the links 27 are provided, which links are properly connected to the sides or decks of the boats or floats and also to the anchor posts 26, which anchor posts are provided with the slots 28, thereby allowing the boats or floats to move up arid down. It will be understood that many other ways may be employed for anchoring the boats or floats without departing from the nature of the present invention.

It will be understood that by bringing into action. auxiliary force or forces a continuous supply of energy is produced and one that is automatic in its action, that is to say, auxiliary force or forces are brought into action automatically by means of the swinging blade or paddle, which is actuatsd by the tide, thereby making the supply of energy automatic continuous.

lrlaving fully described thy invention what claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ers Patent, is"

l. A tide motor for supplying electrical energy, comprising pair of water wheels having their blades arranged whereby one water wheel is actuated. only by the flood tide and the other is actuated only by the ebb tide, electfical current generating means operated by the water wheels, storage batteries, a switch for said batteries including a tide actuated blade held normally by the tide in position to open the battery circuit and arranged to automatically assume a position to close the battery circuit during the periods when there is no flow of tide, the generating means and the batteries thereby, in combination, providing a continuous supply of electrical energy, and a floating support for the elements aforesaid.

2. tide motor for supplying electrical energy, comprising water wheel means actuated by the ebb and flood tides, electrical current generating means operated by the water wheel means, storage batteries, 9, switch for said batteries including a tide actuated blade held normally by the tide in. position to open the battery circuit and arranged to automatically assume a position to close the battery circuit during the periods when. there is no flow of tide, the generating means and the batteries thereby, in combination, providing a continuous supply of electrical energy, and a floating support for the elements aforesaid.

3. A tide motor for supplying electrical ehergy, comprising water wheel means actuated by the ebb and flood tides, electrical current generating means operated by the water wheel means, storage batteries, a switch for said'batterics including a pivotally mounted tide actuated blade adapted to assume by gravity during the periods when there is no flow of tide a perpendicular position wherein it closes the battery circuit and normally hold by the lowing tide in an inclined position wherein it opens the battery circuit, the generating means and the batteries thereby, in combination, providin a continuous supply of electrical energy, and alfloating support for the elements store said.

i. A tide motor for supplying electrical energy, comprising water wheel. means actuated by the ebb and flood tides, electrical current generating means operated by the water \vhcel means, a floating support for said .watcr wheel means and said generating n'lcans, storage batteries and a s itch for said batteries including a tide actuated blade also mounted on. said support and'held normally by the tide 1n position to open the liq battery circuit and arranged to automati- .have hereunto subscribed my name in the cally assume a fiosi'tion to close the battery presence of two witnesses. circuit during t e periods when there is no flow of tide, the generating means and the GEORGE LEMMON' 5 batteries thereby, in combination, providing Witnesses: v

a continuous supply of electrical energy. 5'. A. JEmRs, In testimony that I claim the above, I F. W. BOND.

Washington, D. 0.? 

